3. BQ-Portal contacts

Do you have a question which you have not found an answer to in this section? Then please send an email to: projektbuero@bq-portal.de

1. Registration, use and scope of the BQ-Portal

Who can register?

The work area of the BQ-Portal can only be accessed by registered users. Registration is reserved for staff of assessment authorities as defined in Section 8 of the German Professional Qualifications Assessment Act (“Gesetz über die Feststellung der Gleichwertigkeit von Berufsqualifikationen” – BQFG) or other public bodies at the regional or national level such as IHK FOSA (Foreign Skills Approval), the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag, DIHK), the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH), the Federal Association of Liberal Professions (BFB) etc. Requests to register by other people will be reviewed; however, approval will only be granted in individual cases and for good reason. The authority to decide on such requests lies with the operator of the BQ-Portal.

2. General information about the portal’s content

What information can I find in the BQ-Portal?

The BQ-Portal offers information on the assessment of foreign professional qualifications:

The BQ-Portal includes a secure work area for staff of assessment authorities. For data protection reasons, this secure work area can only be accessed by registered users. Registered users may use it to discuss technical and methodological issues and enter the results of equivalence assessments which they have carried out.

Who provides the information in the portal?

The BQ-Portal is an intelligent system which is jointly developed and expanded by its users. The content is created gradually by various stakeholders, including

the IW competence centre

staff of assessment authorities

third-party experts from academia and research, e.g. from the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB)

These parties do not only have read access, but they are also editors who can actively create country and professional profiles. This interactive feature which enables the stakeholders to contribute knowledge is a central characteristic of the BQ-Portal. They collaboratively create new content and add and update existing information.

What professional profiles can I find in the BQ-Portal?

The number of professional profiles on the BQ-Portal is steadily increasing. The presentation of countries in the portal is prioritised, meaning that those foreign professional qualifications with the most applications for recognition in Germany have been given priority. To display all professional profiles for a specific country, navigate to “country and professional profiles” in the main menu and then to “foreign professional profiles”. Here you can select the country you’re interested in. Once you have clicked “search”, all professional profiles for your selected country will be displayed underneath the search interface.

3. BQ-Portal contacts

Who is my first contact for queries concerning the use of the BQ-Portal?

If you have questions about how to use the BQ-Portal or technical problems, please contact the BQ-Portal project office. Questions regarding content should be directed at the IW competence centre.

How can I suggest improvements to the BQ-Portal?

We welcome your suggestions for improving the BQ-Portal. Please use the feedback form for your suggestions. You can find the feedback form on the left-hand side of the BQ-Portal’s website (click on the blue tab). Here you can let us know what you think about the portal’s usability and individual features, and make suggestions for the further development and expansion of the portal. Feedback is anonymous and will be forwarded to the BQ-Portal project office. If you prefer to send personal feedback, you’re welcome to send us an email at projektbuero@bq-portal.de.